The Nigerian Navy has disclosed that it arrested a total of 333 vessels between 2015 and 2021 over offences ranging from piracy and crude oil theft to illegal bunkering, fishing, and related maritime violations.
The Flag Officer Commanding, Western Naval Command, Rear Admiral Gregory Oamen, made the disclosure in Lagos on Wednesday at the third edition of the MARAN Annual Maritime Lecture (MAMAL 2025), organised by the Maritime Reporters Association of Nigeria (MARAN). The lecture was themed “Addressing the Burden of War Risk Insurance on Nigeria’s Maritime Trade.”
Represented at the event by the Commanding Officer of NNS Thunder, Captain Olanrewaju Oginni, Oamen said the apprehended vessels were subsequently handed over to relevant government agencies for further action.
He explained that within the last decade, the Navy had also expanded its fleet with 21 newly acquired vessels, with additional ones under construction. However, he noted that inadequate logistics have limited the deployment of the ships.
“In fact, we have more ships now than we have logistics to put to sea,” he said, adding that while strides have also been made in indigenous shipbuilding—three vessels completed and two currently under construction—the challenge of funding remains significant.
The naval chief stressed that keeping vessels at sea places a heavy financial burden on the service, given its current budgetary allocation. According to him, “the current funding for the Nigerian Navy is below the threshold needed to sustain a force expected to meet its constitutional responsibilities,” which hampers its ability to effectively conduct policing operations.
Despite these constraints, Oamen said the Navy has continued to strengthen its presence at sea and has established additional forward operating bases covering the length of the nation’s coastline. He, however, identified “backwater challenges” as a persistent operational problem.
Earlier in his address, MARAN President, Godfrey Bivbere, said the lecture was designed to foster solutions to issues affecting the maritime industry, particularly the war risk insurance premium imposed on Nigeria-bound cargoes.
“Our goal is clear—to explore actionable solutions, foster transparency, and galvanise collective effort toward lifting the war risk designation that has long shadowed our waters,” Bivbere stated.
